Cider-Glazed Chicken Sausages with Butternut Mash

I know I'm on the Martha Stewart bandwagon lately, but I really wasn't so sure about this one. I was a little skeptical, since apple was one of the ingredients in the mash and the only type of chicken sausage they had left at my grocery store this week was chicken and apple flavor. We are typically not the fruit with meat types of people, and I was fairly positive someone wasn't going to like it. I think we've only had chicken and apple sausage one other time, and it didn't go over well. Then, to top it off I was afraid that the apple cider I bought would be too sugary. I could only find the dry mix, and I remember it being way too sweet in the past. I was bracing myself for failure.

Thankfully, all my fears were baseless. This recipe was fan-freakin'-tastic! Seriously, delicious. Usually the husband grumbles about eating butternut squash, but he loved this version of the "mash". The sausages were cooked to perfection, and the onion and cider mixture was exceptional. I was unabashedly slurping spoonfuls of the gravy out of the sauce pan. Oh my! The chicken and apple sausages were a perfect pairing with the sauce and squash. We l-o-v-e-d this dinner!!!

Cider-Glazed Chicken Sausages with Butternut Mash
From: Everyday Food, May 2011

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 pound chicken sausages
7 fresh sage leaves (I used 2 teaspoons of dried sage)
3 cups apple cider
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 small butternut squash (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large russet potato (10 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup 2 percent Greek yogurt (I used a little more)

Directions:
In a large skillet or shallow heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and sausages and cook until sausages are deep golden brown, 6 minutes, turning sausages and stirring onion halfway through. Add sage and cider and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook until cider is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine squash, potato, and apple. Cover by 2 inches water and bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high. Cook until squash and potato are tender when pierced with a knife, 15 minutes.

Drain vegetables and apple and transfer to a food processor (***I used an immersion blender and transferred the veggies back to the same pot I cooked them in***). Process until smooth. Add yogurt, season with salt and pepper, and pulse to combine. Divide butternut mash among four plates and serve with sausages and onion.



The Result:
Delish! I followed the directions fairly close, but I did make a couple of changes. I couldn't find fresh sage, so I used dried and it worked just fine. I probably used a little more Greek yogurt than called for...maybe 1/2 a cup. Lastly, I used an immersion blender and transferred the veggies back to the cooking pot instead of using a food processor. The immersion blender is just easier to clean and works just as well. Other than that, this recipe is great as-is.